1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner to be used for a recording method such as an electrophotographic method, an electrostatic recording method, an electrostatic printing method. A toner jet recording method, and the like and also relates to an image forming method using the toner and a process cartridge making use of the toner.
2. Related Background Art
The electrophotographic method involves generally using a photoconductive material and forming an electrostatically charged image on a photosensitive member by a variety of means, then developing the electrostatically charged image (electrostatic image) by a toner, transferring the toner image to a transfer material such as paper, if necessary, and fixing the toner image by a heating, pressurizing, heating and pressurizing, or solvent evaporating step to obtain a fixed image
The developing applied to the electrophotographic method can be roughly classified into dry developing and wet developing. The former method can further be divided into a method using a two-component developer and a method using a one-component developer.
The toner to be employed for the dry developing is a particle obtained by dispersing a colorant in a binder resin and finely pulverizing the resulting mixture to about 5 to 15 xcexcm. Used as a magnetic toner, which is a one-component developer, are those containing magnetic fine particles as the colorant. Further, in the case of the two-component developer, a toner containing a pigment such as carbon black as a colorant and a carrier particle of an iron powder or a magnetic ferrite particle are mixed to be used.
To provide a toner particle with electric charge, a dye, a pigment, or a polymer (high-molecular) compound is added as a charge control agent, and as positive triboelectric charge control agent, used are a nigrosine dye, an azine dye, a phthalocyanine-copper complex dye, a quaternary ammonium salt and the like and as a negative triboelectric charge control agent, used are an organometallic compound of a monoazo dye, organometallic compounds of salicylic acid, naphthoic acid, and dicarboxylic acid, a charge control resin, which is a polymer having a sulfonic acid group, and the like.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-171345, disclosed is a toner using a copolymer of a styrene type monomer, a (meth)acrylic monomer, and an unsaturated polyester resin as binder resin and containing a specified amount of the unsaturated polyester resin. However, it is desired to further improve the charging stability of the toner.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-195681, disclosed is a toner containing as a main component of binder resin a polyester resin containing a specified amount of vinyl resin having a specified molecular weight and a specific glass transition temperature. However, it is desired to further improve the charging stability of the toner
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-153885, disclosed are a toner binder of resin obtained by reaction of a polyester resin having a specified molecular weight and a vinyl type polymer having a specified structure and a toner using the binder. However, it is desired to further improve the charging stability of the toner.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-56511, disclosed is a toner containing a binder resin which contains a hybrid resin component, a specified amount of a component insoluble in a specified solvent, and a tetrahydrofuran-soluble matter having a specified molecular weight distribution. However, it is desired to further improve the rising of the electric charging in the high temperature and high humidity environments.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-184762, disclosed is a toner containing a copolymer produced by copolymerzation of a specified acrylamidosulfonic acid monomer and styrene in order to provide the toner with a stable charging property. However, it does not contain any description referring to a combination of a hybrid resin component and the copolymer.
In Japanese Patent No. 2623684, disclosed is a toner containing a thermoplastic resin as the binder resin and a copolymer produced by copolymerization of a specified acrylamide-based monomer having a sulfonic acid group and a specified structure and a vinyl type monomer as the charge control resin in order to improve rising of the electric charge quantity of the toner. However, it does not contain any description referring to a combination of the charge control resin and a hybrid resin Component.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-56518, disclosed is a toner containing a sulfonic acid group-containing (meth)acrylamide copolyer having a specified glass transition temperature as a charge control resin in order to provide a toner having excellent charging stability and little dependence on the ambient environments. However, it does not contain any description referring to a combination of the charge control resin and a hybrid resin component.
An object of the present invention is to provide a toner of which the above described problems are solved.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a toner, an image forming method, and a process cartridge with improved fogging preventive property, charging stability, environmental dependency of the electric charge, and rising characteristic of the charging.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a toner, an image forming method, and a process cartridge which scarcely cause fogging and are excellent in charging stability and further are improved both in fixing performance and high temperature anti-offset property.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a toner containing a sulfur-containing polymer which is satisfactory in the dispersibility in binder resin and excellent in the initial step-charging-rising property independently of the ambient environments, and to provide an image forming method and a process cartridge making use of the toner.
To achieve the objects of the present invention, in accordance with an-aspect of the invention, there is provided a toner comprising toner particles and an inorganic fine powder, wherein the toner particles comprise at least a binder resin, a colorant, a sulfur-containing resin, and a wax; wherein the binder resin contains a hybrid resin component comprising a vinyl means for developing the electrostatically charged image formed on the image bearing member by use of a toner and both of which are supported as one unit, the process cartridge being detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus main body, wherein the toner comprises toner particles and an inorganic fine powder; the toner particles comprising at least a binder resin, a colorant, a sulfur-containing resin, and a wax; the binder resin containing a hybrid resin component comprising a vinyl type polymer unit and a polyester unit, and the sulfur-containing resin being a resin selected from the group of sulfur-containing polymers and sulfur-containing copolymers.